Here at Bluchic, we want every business owner to fall head over heels in love with their website. When it comes to your WordPress theme, we want you to be searching for the Mr. Right Theme, not Mr. Right Now Theme. There are several key questions to ask yourself before choosing a WordPress theme. We’ve highlighted them below, and also included a checklist to help you through the process.

1 | Does this complement my website content?

To first know if a WordPress theme complements your website content, you first need to have an understanding of your website content.

Do you run an online shop? If so, does the theme help drive more traffic to this shop or is it hard to navigate? Or maybe you have a services page. Does the theme encourage people to check out your services page or is it unwelcoming to new website visitors?

Finally, and most importantly, does the theme encourage people to stay and engage with your brand? Does it lend itself to receiving more email subscribers?

Answering these questions will help you determine if it complements your website content and whether or not the theme will grow with your business.

2 | Is it easy to customize to fit my brand?

Once you’ve found a theme that complements your website content, the next is discovering if it’s easy to customize. What if you have your own logo, colour code and font?

While at the current moment, you may not want a lot of customization, you most likely will want this option in the near future. If you already have set fonts and colour codes you use for your brand, make sure you are able to implement them before deciding on a WordPress theme.

Also, make sure you know what comes with the standard option of the theme, meaning the bare bones of the template. Are there advanced options that are included with the theme? What are they and do they complement your business?

Another tip is finding out if you need to have any sort of CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) or coding knowledge to be able to customize the theme at all. If you don’t have a technical background, we would suggest not choosing a theme that you will need to know a lot of coding knowledge.

3 | Will it be aesthetically pleasing to not only me but also my visitors?

Will this design actually help to attract the customers you want? Does the theme ultimately tell the story you want to tell?

Not all businesses are created equal. And neither are WordPress themes. So while a multi-purpose (one size fits all) theme sounds great, it is best to look for a theme that is designed for your specific niche. That way it has the elements that your niche is needed to attract your potential customers.

4 | Is it SEO optimized?

The next step in finding Mr. Right Theme is making sure it comes SEO (Search Engine Optimization) optimized.

Having an SEO optimized website is an absolute must. SEO is what gets your website higher in the search results, when people are looking for your particular business niche and industry. Most themes come SEO optimized, but you should always check and make sure.

5 | Is it mobile responsive?

If you aren’t providing a mobile-friendly experience on your website, you will miss out on business. All websites must be mobile responsive these days.

Another advantage your website will have is it will rank higher in the search results if you have a mobile responsive website.

6 | Is it compatible with different browsers?

Different users will be using different browsers, so it is imperative that your WordPress theme is compatible with all of the major browsers, including Google Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera and Internet Explorer.

Some themes can end up looking different on different browsers, so you want to make sure your theme shows correctly on all browsers.

Wondering what browsers a majority of your website viewers use? You can easily look it up on your Google Analytics. Just go to Audience >> Technology >> Browser and OS

7 | Does it support popular plugins?

As a WordPress user, you will be using plugins to run much of your website. Most WordPress themes will support popular plugins, but make sure it seamlessly works with the plugins you currently use and need on your website.

8 | Is it easy to setup?

Consider the level of skill needed to install the WordPress theme. Is it out of your comfort zone? How thorough is the documentation? Will you need to hire someone else to install it?

Also, ask yourself : Will my site looks as good as the demo with my own content and image? How much work (easy or hard) is needed to make it look as attractive as the demo site? Is coding skill required to get the theme to look like demo site?

Quite often how the demo looks and how it looks when you install it on your own site are hugely different and it often takes times to work out how to get the demo looking the way it did. That’s where good documentation and support comes in to make the setup process painless.

9 | Is there a support option?

A support option is not offered with all themes, so if this is important to you, make sure the theme you select has support available.

If you are selecting a free WordPress theme, there is most likely not much (or any at all) of a support option. Since many people use free WordPress themes, the demand is too high to be able to support all of its users.

If you are selecting a paid WordPress theme, it is more likely that there is a support option. If so, ask yourself : Am I buying it from someone with reliable customer service that is responsive when I need assistance? When you need that Support, you expect it to be solid and timely so find out more about the support.

Final thoughts + free checklist

Asking yourself these questions before purchasing will prevent a lot of frustration in the future and you are more likely to find one that is going to serve you for a long time. To make the process of choosing a WordPress theme even easier, we’ve created a free checklist to help you out. Click here to get the cheat sheet.

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